


Bell Collar

by Bounemr



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M, Miraculous Ladybug AU, but then i thought why not, i wasn't going to post this, nico with a bell collar hahaha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 06:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7965337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bounemr/pseuds/Bounemr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is basically just set up for jasico but in a miraculous ladybug au tbh. Nico is Chat Noir, Annabeth is Ladybug, Jason is cute, and everything Happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bell Collar

Jason wished he could put a bell around Nico di Angelo’s neck to remind him the guy was there. Nico had this disturbing habit of standing silently in the corner, blending into the shadows. It hadn’t been the first time Nico had popped up out of nowhere with some helpful comment, and it hadn’t been the first time he scared the pants off of Jason.

Jason figured it was his own fault. Talking with Hazel was the only time Nico seemed bold enough to interrupt. But hey, Hazel was his friend, even if she was in a different class. And Jason was a big boy. He could handle a vaguely creepy kid, especially if his sister happened to be Hazel. _No one with a sister like her can be all bad._

That was what Jason told himself, how he convinced himself to give Nico a chance when every instinct told him to stay far away. “Oh, hey Nico! Didn’t see you there,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

There was a gleam in Nico’s dark eyes – maybe humor, or a hint of a challenge – and he twisted his lips into a wry smirk. “I noticed.”

Jason fought hard not to blush in embarrassment. Of course Nico noticed Jason jump. He always did. Jason laughed it off awkwardly. “Yeah, anyway, um, how have you been?”

He noticed Hazel’s pleased expression. She always looked like that when he tried to talk to Nico. It almost made him sad, that small talk would be an occurrence special enough to be happy about. But that’s why he kept trying, even if he didn’t seem to ever get anywhere with the other boy and if his other friends told him it was hopeless. Even if Nico didn’t appreciate it (which Jason had a sneaking suspicion that he did) it at least made Hazel happy, and Jason knew Hazel being happy meant Nico was happy – or he hoped. Not that he ever tried to talk to Nico on his own. Nearly all interactions with the other boy took place with Hazel as a mediator, unless she had to leave in the middle of a conversation, leaving them alone. Those times were awkward. “Peachy, Grace. Your girlfriend is looking for you.”

Jason felt a chill run down his spine. “R-really? Piper is?”

Nico looked at him curiously, as did Hazel. “Yes, Grace, really. Swear I’m not just hinting at you to get lost.”

“No, I didn’t think that, Nico, it’s just…” He gave the two a half-hearted smile. “Piper and I broke up yesterday. I didn’t think she’d want to see me anytime soon.”

“Oh, Jason, I didn’t know,” Hazel said. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was my own fault.”

Nico raised an eyebrow. “I doubt that. But she really is looking for you. I could make an excuse for you if you’d rather put it off?”

Then it was Jason’s turn to give Nico a curious look. Nico always tolerated him – well, after a while – but he was never particularly nice. He never offered to help. “No, thank you. I don’t think putting this off would be smart.”

Nico nodded. “Most akuma calm down a lot after they’re cleansed. Piper is probably more okay than you think.” Jason shivered at the reminder of Piper turning into an akuma. He shook the thoughts from his mind.

“But just because she’s ready doesn’t mean you are,” Hazel said.

“I’m fine, really. I’ll go find her. I’ll talk to you later, Hazel. Nico.”

He turned to walk away and felt two piercing gazes burn into his back until he turned the corner. He knew he’d have to break the news at some point. He missed out on the previous day because of Piper’s akuma, and though she was clearly upset about love (something which gave Jason a lot of sideways looks) she never actually announced that they had broken up. Most of his friends just assumed they had a fight. That wasn’t unheard of.

So he knew he’d have to tell his friends – at least the ones Piper didn’t tell afterward – but he still didn’t like the pitying looks. Or whatever Nico’s look was.

He also knew he’d have to talk to Piper again. He just didn’t expect that it would be so soon.

He ended up finding her in the courtyard, sitting alone and browsing through her phone. That struck him as odd. Both that no one was with her – even just to comfort her – and that she had sent Nico di Angelo to ask him to meet her rather than sending him a text. He cleared his throat as he approached, drawing her attention. “Hi,” he said, raising a hand weakly to wave.

“Hi.” Her kaleidoscope eyes seemed to look through him, making him squirm. “We need to talk.”

“Nico told me.”

“He did.” Piper looked at her feet, sighing. “He did. Good. I wasn’t sure he’d run into you.”

“You could have texted me, if you didn’t think Nico would ask.”

She shook her head. “No. To be perfectly honest, I guess I wanted to give you an excuse not to come.”

“Would you rather I le-”

“No, I’m glad you came.” Piper smiled at him again. Her eyes still betrayed her hurt, but she was clearly pushing through it. Jason couldn’t quite muster up that same smile. “I’m sorry for yesterday.”

“It’s not your fault. Happens to everyone, these days.”

“Not just for… Aphrodite.” Piper flinched saying the name of her own akuma. “For blowing up at you in the first place. I kind of knew it wasn’t going to work too, I just didn’t want to let go.”

“I should have been able to handle it better. Be more… eloquent or something. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“I know you didn’t, Jason.”

They were quiet for a long time.

“God.” Piper covered her face in her hands. “Do you think we can be friends again?”

“I hope so.”

Another long silence. Once again, Piper was the one that broke it. “Did you know we’re causing civil war?”

“Uh, no?”

“Our ridiculous friends are actually taking sides.”

“Oh dear.”

Piper hummed, smiling fondly at the thought of them. “Yeah, even Percy and Annabeth are taking up arms. Annabeth is adamantly ‘Team Jason’, by the way.”

“Do I want to know?”

“Percy actually disagrees with her. He’s been trying to support me in his own… really silly way. Leo’s been trying to mediate, if you can believe it, but it hasn’t worked very well.”

“Please tell me our friends aren’t going to get into a fight for us.”

“No, they’re not stupid. Well, mostly. I think it’s funny. They all just really care about us, that’s why it got as far as it did. You might want to watch out for Reyna, though.”

“Noted.”

“And we should probably try to show them we can still talk to each other. However awkward it is. So no one escalates anything.”

“Well, I don’t know.” Jason decided to try a little joke. “If I have Annabeth on my team, things are looking good for my side.”

“I have Reyna.”

“I have Nico.”

“You do?” Piper’s eyes widened a little. “I didn’t think he’d care.”

Jason shrugged. “He actually did offer to make an excuse for me to avoid… this. I’m taking that as a good sign for my team.”

Piper let a smile fall on her lips again. “Well, in that case, I guess I have to surrender. You win, Grace. Bravo.” She chuckled a little. “Imagine Annabeth and Nico teaming up.”

“They’re both way too smart to stand each other.”

“Imagine them teaming up against _you_.”

“They’d burn me so hard I wouldn’t even know I’d been burned.”

“See, no way I’m going to be on the receiving end of that.”

“Smart of you. Not that anyone would lift a finger against you. Even them.”

“Not taking any chances. Come on, we should make sure Percy doesn’t do something stupid.”

“He does that anyway.”

“Yeah, but it’s never _our_ fault.”

Jason smiled, following Piper towards the classroom. “Say that to the second-floor water fountains.”

“That was _one time_.”

* * *

“Grace.” Once again, upon hearing Nico’s voice, Jason jumped three feet out of his seat. The look is Nico’s eyes told Jason he was definitely amused. _He just likes scaring me. Jerk._ “If you’re that scared of me, there is a second empty seat, you know.”

Jason put on his best smile. _Maybe I should have just switched with Leo._ Since sitting next to his ex was awkward – even if they were on somewhat friendly terms, Leo had taken Jason’s seat, leaving Jason drifting. He didn’t really know the girl Miranda Gardiner very well, and he didn’t know Lou Ellen at all, so he fell back – literally a few rows – to the empty seat next to Nico. “I’m not scared. You just startled me.”

“Consistently.”

“You’re quiet. I don’t hear you coming.”

Nico snorted. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” He dumped his bag next to the seat and slid in next to Jason. “So you’re back here, suddenly.”

“Uh, yeah. Sitting next to Piper didn’t seem like a good idea.”

Nico nodded his head slowly, his eyes drifting down to the front seats. “How did your talk go?”

Jason smiled. “Pretty well, I think. We’re still friends. I’m just moving because I don’t want either of us to be distracted in class. Do you mind? I could sit somewhere else.”

Nico sighed. “Yes, but don’t worry about it. Better you than one of them.” He gestured vaguely to the entire class. “Hazel will be ecstatic. ‘Nico, you actually talked to him all by yourself, I’m so proud!’.”

Jason chuckled. “Does she really do that?”

“Oh, all the time. You should see her grin every time you leave after we talk.”

“I should.” He bit his lip, looking at the desk, his bag, and then back at Nico. “Are you sure, though? I don’t want to bother you.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Nico waved him off. “If you’re more comfortable here, then that’s fine.” He glanced over, raising an eyebrow. “Not that I understand how you could possibly be more comfortable here.”

 _I’m not sure I do, either._ “Thank you, Nico.”

* * *

Nico wasn’t sure that it was a good thing or not, but Jason Grace moving to sit next to him, of all people, during his break up was not even the weirdest thing to happen to him that week. “Hey Ladybug,” he said casually touching down next to the heroine. Her blonde curls glittered in the light from the city, making her stand out even more than her bright red suit did.

“Chat Noir. I wanted to talk to you.”

“I heard.”

“I’m fairly certain you go to my school.”

Nico felt his heart stop. “I-I’m sorry?”

“Just a hunch. Based on how quickly the two of us arrive to any given akuma, I think we live nearby each other. And everything seems to center around the school.”

Nico nodded. “I have a good idea of what you’re talking about. Yeah, I go to school there. You do too?”

Ladybug nodded, turning her stormy grey eyes from the city to him. “Yeah, I do. I figured if that was the case, there’s a chance we know each other as civilians.”

“I have a very small circle of friends.”

“So do I. It’s just a chance.”

“…So?”

Nico’s chest felt tight, as if it was restricted by the embarrassing suit that never gave him breathing difficulty before. Ladybug smiled at him. “So, I was thinking we should tell each other who we are. It would be a lot easier for both of us.”

 _Oh, god._ “I-I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

Ladybug’s smile dropped. “Why not?”

“W-well… our kwami! They told us not to tell anyone, right? Even each other.”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “So long as there’s no mystical nonsense resulting from it, I don’t see why it’s such a big issue. I think it would give us an advantage. We could plan better and we’d have a way to communicate without transforming.”

“I guess… but I just…”

“Chat,” Ladybug looked at him sympathetically. “It’s not like knowing who you are will change anything. You’re still Chat.”

“Okay, _first of all_ ,” Nico said, “you wouldn’t like me.”

“I like you fine.”

“No one likes me.” Ladybug gave him a doubtful look. “And anyway this is just… embarrassing.” He gestured to his outfit of form-fitting black leather. _At least the color scheme is right._ “Like, ears? Really? My kwami hates me.”

That made Ladybug laugh. “Don’t worry, Chat. I wouldn’t want any of my friends seeing me in polka-dot spandex either. I won’t tell anyone. It’ll be our secret.” She winked at him, leaving him to pout.

 _It would be advantageous. Tactically. Besides, you only know like ten people, what are the odds you know her? Not that your charming personality wouldn’t scare her away._ Nico looked at Ladybug, one of the few people he dared call a friend, and sighed. “Sure, whatever.”

“So we’re agreed? You’re okay with us telling each other?”

“Yeah. Fine.” _It can only go horribly wrong. May as well. The rest of my life is so brilliant, right?_

“Good. Then, Chat Noir, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Nico, in the minute or so since the idea was proposed, went over a thousand different ways that the reveal could ruin everything for him. Most of those included him being an idiot and putting her off somehow so even she wouldn’t want to talk to him ever again. He didn’t even consider what really happened. “My name is Annabeth Chase.”

Nico’s throat dropped into his gut. _Of course. Of course she’s Percy’s girlfriend._ She must have noticed his horrified expression. “Chat? Are you okay?”

He was tempted – oh how he was tempted – to wrap himself in shadows and disappear off to anywhere else. _Maybe the bottom of the Seine. That would work._ But even though she was – of course – Annabeth Chase, even though he was jealous of her and didn’t have the social skills to convince her he didn’t actually hate her guts, even though talking to her ever sans costume meant being around Percy Jackson, he couldn’t actually bring himself to run away without returning the favor. He was, after all, still Chat Noir. He was still Ladybug’s partner and in instances of akuma attacks he couldn’t risk ruining that because he was a coward. “I-I’m…” That didn’t make it any easier to force the words from his throat, though. “I’m Nico.”

Her eyes went wide. “Nico di Angelo?”

He nodded, averting his gaze.

She laughed. “Well, that makes everything so much easier.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, but Nico knew it wasn’t directed at him. “If I start talking to you, Percy’s going to start acting like a kicked puppy.”

Nico made a face. “Percy doesn’t care.”

Annabeth shook her head. “You think so? I already have to hear him complain that Jason talks to you so much.”

“I hardly talk to Jason.”

“Still more than him.” She gave him an odd look. “Percy really thinks he messed up with you.”

“Maybe he did.” _By being too perfect and too stupidly attractive._

Annabeth sighed, but didn’t push the issue. “You know, Nico, if you wanted to hang out with everyone, you can join us.”

“No. I’m not- I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“I told you. No one at school likes me.”

Annabeth hummed. “Jason likes you.” Nico grunted. Jason actually being civil with him didn’t mean they were actually friends. “I like you.” Nico gave her his most dubious look. “I do! How could I possibly not like my Chat Noir?” She hooked him by the neck with an arm and pulled him in to ruffle his hair. “I never got the chance to know you as Nico like I do you as Chat. But I like you. The others would too, if they had the chance.”

Nico laughed, pushing her off of him. “Yeah, yeah.”

* * *

Jason followed Nico’s gaze as the other boy chewed on the end of his pencil. _Annabeth, huh? Piper said something about him maybe having a crush on her. Poor kid._ But it did remind him of something. And he definitely wasn’t going to talk to Piper about it, so maybe Nico would be willing to listen. “Hey, Nico?”

“Mmm?” Nico glanced over, still chewing on his pencil.

Jason dared be a little bit bold, turning his eyes to Piper. “Have you ever liked anyone?”

Nico sat straight as a board, slowly removing his pencil from his mouth. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

He smiled as best as he could, trying to placate Nico. He expected that kind of reaction. “No, it’s not. Of course you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I just… I don’t know. I’m still kind of weird over the break up is all.”

Nico relaxed significantly, but not totally. He sunk back into his seat. “You still like her?”

“I’m not sure? I’m not sure I ever did. I always _thought_ of her as more than a friend, you know? But I’m not sure I ever felt like that. Now I’m kind of wondering what it feels like. To really like someone, I mean.”

“Oh,” Nico said. “It’s overrated.”

Jason chuckled, looking over at Nico. “Yeah?”

“I’d rather stuff my face with chocolate.”

“You like chocolate?” Nico hummed an affirmative. “I know a place that makes the best brownies.”

“The best is a pretty high standard, Grace.”

“I’m confident in my brownie tastes.”

Nico shook his head, the beginnings of a smile on his lips. “You’ll have to show me these brownies sometime, if you’re that confident.”

Jason beamed, realizing the implication of Nico’s words. _Nico’s actually offering to spend time with me. Willingly. As a joke, but still._ “Maybe I will.” _I’m going to have to make some of those brownies for him. Maybe not tell him I made them? I don’t know, would that scare him off?_ Jason sighed, happy. “But seriously Nico. Do you have any idea what love feels like?”

Nico made a face. Jason felt guilty for clearly ruining the mood. “Love is kind of a charged word, Grace.”

“I’d like to know, someday.” Nico was quiet for a few minutes, which made Jason nervous. He quickly glanced over. “Nico?”

“You will.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah. You’re exactly the kind of person to subject yourself to that kind of torment.”

“So cynical.”

“You signed up for it, Grace.”

“Never said I regretted it.”

Nico looked at him, half in shock and half in something Jason had never seen on Nico’s face. Maybe some kind of happiness? He hoped so. Nico frowned. “You don’t regret it?”

“Of course not. I like talking with you.”

If possible, that seemed to catch Nico even more off-guard than his previous comment.

“Nico.” Both of their focus on each other was broken by Annabeth coming up the aisle. “Jason.” He looked past her, where Percy fiddled with the straps on his backpack in the doorway, looking down. Annabeth’s attention turned to Jason, leaving Nico momentarily. “How are you?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Let me know if I can help in any way.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got Nico to talk to.”

Annabeth gave Nico a pointed look. “You talk about your relationships with Nico?”

“N-not often! It’s just venting, really. Nico’s a good listener.”

Annabeth chuckled. “I bet.”

Nico glared at her. “What is it, Annabeth?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out, but I see you’re already with a friend, so…” Jason just watched the exchange growing increasingly puzzled. _Annabeth is… teasing him? But like… friendly-ways. And he seems okay with that._

Nico rolled his eyes. “So you get to suffer through seaweed brain by yourself. I almost feel sorry for you.”

“Hey, I signed up for it, Nico.”

“I’ll never begin to understand what possessed you to do that.”

“Me neither. But I better go. Percy’s waiting. See you around, Nico.”

“Later, Annabeth.”

As she walked away, Jason turned his puzzled gaze to Nico. “When did you two become friends?”

Nico curled into himself just a little as he turned back to Jason, looking sheepish. “Uh, well, we’re not… _not_ friends.”

Jason frowned.

“We talked, recently, okay? It was just through a series of coincidences but it turns out we actually have a lot in common.”

“Mhmm.”

Nico rolled his eyes.

Jason shook his head. He wondered if it would be okay to ask about Piper’s suspicion, but decided that from Nico’s attitude before, it probably wasn’t a great idea. But Jason started to doubt it. He had seen Nico’s looks at Annabeth and Percy, of course, especially after Piper had pointed it out. And of course he noticed how Nico avoided the couple. But Nico was quite capable of talking to Annabeth even smoother than he did Jason, so obviously it wasn’t Annabeth he was avoiding.

Jason had also heard that Nico and Percy had known each other long before the rest of the group – save Annabeth – showed up. _It must be something with him._

Jason only gave a single second to Nico’s words. _“It’s overrated.” Why did he act like he liked someone? Who could it be, if not Annabeth?_

_Or maybe Nico’s just more capable in a conversation than we give him credit for._

Jason smiled at Nico, preparing to leave the classroom as well. _That seems likely._

Only one other part of their conversation really stood out to Jason, and he only thought of it after he was home in his bed. He was thinking about Nico; about how much closer he’d managed to get with him in so short of a time. He hated thinking that it was just because of his breaking up with Piper, but Nico seemed ready, willing even, to support Jason, and he may have been using that to try to make friends with the boy that had kept him at arm’s length for so long. _Maybe eventually he won’t freak me out when he shows up out of nowhere._

But as he was reviewing the conversation in his mind, he stumbled across a parallel that made his stomach twist as if it was wrestling an uncomfortable – but not entirely unpleasant – idea. “I signed up for it,” he muttered, closing his eyes, thinking about how Annabeth had said those exact words in reference to her boyfriend. “It’s just a stupid coincidence.”

Still, when he closed his eyes and thought of Nico, he was happy. He liked talking to him, liked learning about him. _And I guess he is pretty cute._

Jason laughed and shook his head. _This break up is messing with me more than I thought._

* * *

A few months later, Jason thought he could consider Nico a friend. He even dared to say it out loud and Nico never said anything to stop it. Jason considered that a kind of victory.

When he woke up on the concrete in the middle of the night, he was disoriented, and had a headache, but he figured out the gist of what had happened pretty easily. He had a little bit of trouble trying to figure out exactly _why_ he had become an akuma, but he did remember a vague sense of anger and Ladybug and Chat Noir were fist-bumping a few feet away so he knew he must have.

But Ladybug and Chat Noir both seemed exhausted. “H-hey.” He called to them. “Are you okay?”

They just shared an exasperated look and helped Jason to his feet. “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re the victim here,” Ladybug said.

“Are _you_ okay?” Chat Noir asked.

Jason blinked, shaking his head and getting a better sense of where he was. “Yeah, I think so. Uh, I’m sorry, but could you tell me what happened?”

He tried to remember. _That’s right. There was an akuma before me. That’s why Ladybug and Chat Noir are so tired. What was that one?_

“You were taking people’s memories.”

“What? Seriously? Why?”

Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other nervously.

A shrill beep interrupted the silence. “Whoops, look at that, got to go,” Chat Noir said. “You’ll be able to make it home alright?”

Jason nodded, still a bit more focused on remembering what happened earlier. Ladybug gave him another concerned glance, but left soon after her partner.

 _It was… another love akuma, I think. Why would I have gotten angry at that? What did they say? Or do?_ With a loud sigh, Jason set off toward his home, collapsing on his bed the moment he reached his room and going to sleep.

The next morning, his memories were much less foggy. _Oh. Cupid._ Jason curled his lip in disgust. _Nico’s gay. That’s why. Cupid outed Nico and… and I got mad. Because Nico was outed without his consent. So my akuma tried to take people’s memories. That makes sense, I guess. I wonder if I targeted Ladybug. She was the only other one there, I think. At least it’s only me and Ladybug._ Jason sighed. _I hope Nico is okay._

If Jason was going to be honest, he really didn’t want to go to school that day. Not just because he was scared Nico would be angry at him for knowing a secret he wasn’t supposed to know, or because everyone would know by that point that Jason had become an akuma and they’d surely wonder what set him off – which he obviously couldn’t talk about, but just because he felt terrible. _Akuma suck._ He groaned into his pillow and sat up.

As much as he would have liked to stay home, he couldn’t. Even if his mom wouldn’t throw him out the door, he really, really needed to talk to Nico.

As he walked to school, he felt the anger bubbling in his gut again. _Cupid, outing people like that. Golly, I know they were an akuma but I still want to punch them. You don’t just_ do _that!_ He let himself simmer a little bit and took deep breaths to calm himself. _Can’t have a repeat. I’ve already caused enough trouble. I just need to talk to Nico._

“Hey, Moneta.”

 _Leo. Perfect._ “Excuse me?” Jason turned, not exactly confused – Leo gave him weird nicknames all the time – but not really understanding where he got it. _Oh. Moneta._ “Leo, please tell me I wasn’t called Moneta.”

“You weren’t, don’t worry. But Pipes and I got gods, so I decided to make you an honorary member of the pantheon.”

“A goddess.”

“Good enough, right?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Sure. Have you seen Nico?”

“Nope. Not even sure if he’s here today. I saw Hazel alone, anyway. I heard you two met Cupid face to face yesterday.” Leo waggled his eyebrows. “To tell me Moneta, is Hades marrying into the family?”

Jason frowned at Leo. “Cut it out. I just need to talk to him.”

Leo shrugged. “Just wondering if Cupid made you admit anything. You do seem awfully stressed, Jay.”

“Leo.”

“I mean it’s not like you’re subtle. I’m surprised the whole gang doesn’t know.”

“Know what?”

“That you like him.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Aphrodite has a sense for these things, you know.”

“Leo, please stop using those names.”

“You were fine with Moneta.”

“I don’t even know what my akuma was called. I don’t want to remember Piper’s.”

Leo coughed something about memory. “Anyway,” he said, “Piper’s had the theory going for a while now. Can you tell your best friend at least if you like him?”

Jason rubbed his temples. “Don’t… Ugh, I’ll think about that later, okay? I just need to find Nico.”

“Fine, fine. Hazel’s in the school, in the hall outside her classroom with Frank. Go find Hades.” Leo shook his head, muttering. “He totally likes him. Even got akuma’d for god’s sake.”

Jason chose to ignore him and left to find Hazel. Sure enough, she was right where Leo said she’d be. “Hey, Hazel. Do you know where Nico is?”

Hazel gave him an apologetic smile. “Hey, Jason. Nico disappeared as soon as we got here. I figured he had to talk to one of his teachers or something.”

“Oh. Okay, thanks Hazel.”

Hazel returned to her conversation with Frank, and Jason just walked away again, pulling out his phone to text Nico.

J – Hey buddy how are you doing?

He waited. And waited. And waited. But Nico didn’t reply. By that time, Jason was fairly distressed. He knew Nico didn’t want him to know, but avoiding him wouldn’t help. Jason frowned at his phone, making his way slowly to his classroom.

He cast his eyes to the back of the room, where Nico and he sat together, and felt his chest constrict when he saw Nico sitting there talking quietly with Annabeth. Who was in his seat.

Annabeth met his gaze with a sympathetic one. _She couldn’t know._ But she very pointedly directed him with her eyes to her seat next to Percy in the front of the class, while Nico refused to look at him at all.

He opened his mouth and stepped toward them to say something, to apologize for hearing what was supposed to be a secret, to tell Nico that it was okay, anything, but Annabeth shook her head sternly and pointedly directed him, once again, to the empty seat.

Jason curled his fingers into a fist, but turned sharply to take the indicated seat. He crossed his arms as he plopped down. _Why is Annabeth the one with him right now? Why doesn’t he want to see me? He’s here – he’s probably avoiding me. God. What if he thinks I hate him? My akuma came because of finding out he’s gay. What if he thinks I don’t approve or something? What if he thinks it’s because of_ him _and not what Cupid did? But I can’t explain myself if he won’t talk to me._

“My girlfriend likes Nico better than me,” Percy groaned dramatically. “Hey, Jay. You know anything about that?” He gestured vaguely behind them.

“I might.” He knew he was being too curt with Percy, but he was worried and angry. He wasn’t thinking.

“Speaking of. You okay, bro? You got it yesterday, right?”

Jason sighed, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“It’s just weird that you’re sitting here now. I mean, not even just that Annie’s up there. You got the akuma and Nico’s giving you the cold shoulder? Weird.”

“Percy.” Jason knew his voice was icy, but that time he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to hear that kind of implication about Nico. He wouldn’t. As much as it frustrated him, Nico had a perfectly reasonable reason to avoid him. Nico wouldn’t just avoid him for no reason.

“Alright, sorry. Just saying. What set you off, anyway? Never thought you’d be an akuma.”

“That’s really none of your business, Percy.”

“Sheesh, fine. I guess Nico rubbed off on you.”

“Percy!”

Percy at least had the decency to look guilty for that one, so Jason let it go. He just slumped onto the desk with a sigh and covered his head, ignoring Percy’s continued ranting.

If he were perfectly honest, it was irritating Jason just how much it was getting under his skin. _Of course Nico wants some time alone. Even if he told me willingly he might need that. Why Annabeth, though? Does she know? Did she know? I don’t think she was there when Cupid outed him, only Ladybug and me. I didn’t think they were that close that he’d tell her something like that. Not before me._ The thought upset Jason more than he wanted to admit. He didn’t mind that Nico didn’t share that part of his life with him. Nico was a fairly private person anyway and that kind of thing can be scary to share. But the thought that he had told Annabeth – not Hazel or Reyna, but Annabeth, Percy’s girlfriend of all people – before him made Jason question just how close he even managed to get to Nico. He was afraid that Nico didn’t even really like him. Just tolerated him. Like before. _And I didn’t help things by going all Moneta on him. Why am I such an idiot?_

Jason lifted his head and looked over at Percy. The guy looked a little dejected. Jason supposed he understood. His girlfriend sat somewhere else without much warning and his new seat-mate wasn’t exactly being cooperative. Jason sighed. “I think Nico hates me.”

Percy’s head snapped to him, a look of pure disbelief on his face. “You can’t be serious. Dude, Nico likes you more than anyone! The kid hasn’t said four words to me in years!”

Jason shook his head. “No, I know that. I… thought we were friends, or at least almost friends. But I think I messed up.”

“Hey, join the club.” That didn’t make Jason feel better at all. Percy flinched as he, apparently, realized that. “But, dude, you’re way closer to him than I ever was. I’m sure you can fix whatever it was.”

“I hope so.”

“I’m sure of it. You’ll figure it out.”

Jason just grunted and let it drop. Percy kept talking, but that was expected. They didn’t talk about Nico again, though.

When the bell rang, Nico was out the door before Jason even turned around. Percy muttered something, but Jason focused on Annabeth instead. She was looking sternly at him, like she was preparing to but not wanting to scold him.

Jason kind of just wanted her to scold him.

Percy followed him to the back of the room, asking Annabeth about why she sat with Nico, but she just asked if she could talk to Jason alone, assuring Percy that it wasn’t anything bad.

Jason did not believe for a second that it wasn’t anything bad.

She took Jason’s arm and led him out the door, not looking at him but definitely watching him with her peripherals. He didn’t say anything. Finally, Annabeth spoke. “Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

Jason sighed. “Only the first part. Up until Cupid was cleansed and maybe ten minutes after. That’s kind of foggy, though. After that it was when I woke up after being an akuma myself.”

“So you remember Cupid.”

“Yeah.”

“Everything?”

Jason knew what she was hinting at, but he wouldn’t say it. Not without knowing one hundred percent that Nico was okay with him saying it, even if Annabeth did already know. “Yeah, I remember everything from Cupid.”

“Then you know why Nico is avoiding you.” _So he is avoiding me._ It felt like Jason was stabbed in the gut.

The words were hard to get out of his throat. “I have an idea.”

“Good. That makes this easier.”

“Does it?” Jason looked directly at her, half-convinced she was going to duct tape him to the flagpole or something for upsetting Nico.

“Why did you become an akuma, Jason? What upset you that much?”

Jason clenched his jaw. Annabeth was hinting that she knew, very strongly, but there was no way Jason was going to say anything. That would be doing exactly what Cupid had done.

“Jason.” Annabeth glared at him. “If Nico’s…” she trailed off, but Jason knew what she was saying. “If it bothers you…”

Jason hung his head. _I knew it. He thinks I was upset because he’s gay. Goddamn it._ “Annabeth. Really?” He looked at her, pleading. “I don’t care about that, Annabeth. I was angry because Cupid made him say it when he wasn’t ready. When he didn’t want me to know yet. I was angry – I _am_ angry, because Cupid hurt my friend and there was nothing I could do to help.”

Annabeth stopped him walking with an arm over his chest, turning so they faced each other. The look in her eyes betrayed relief and joy, and she was smiling. “I told Nico that was it. I knew you wouldn’t think any different of him.”

“Thank… you?”

“Shut up, Jason. I just had to be sure.”

“And kick my butt if I didn’t pass your test.”

“That too.”

“Is Nico okay?”

Annabeth gave him another sympathetic look. “He’s pretty shaken up. But I’m going to talk to him tonight. I’ll make sure he knows the truth. Don’t worry, you’ll have your own seat back by tomorrow.” She turned away, took a step and spun back to him. “Oh, and Jason?”

“Yeah?”

“I saw you getting jealous.” Jason sputtered. _Jealous?_ “If it makes you feel any better, I found out the same time you did.” That, if anything, only made Jason angrier. _Another person found out because of stupid Cupid._ “I was hiding nearby.”

 _But if she was there…_ “What about Percy?”

“Oh, he wasn’t anywhere near there, trust me.” _Good. That’s good, at least. And even if they are together, Annabeth wouldn’t tell Percy that._ Annabeth put a hand on his shoulder. “Be patient,” she said, and walked away.

* * *

Nico did what he always did when things got too hot to handle. He slipped into the cloak of shadows and ran. He wasn’t exactly sure where he ended up, though he knew he didn’t leave Paris. He wouldn’t leave Paris. But he wandered through alleyways and over rooftops, pulling the shadows with him like water stuck to his fur. _Ugh, fur, well, at least I don’t have that. The one good thing about this dumb suit._

He honestly just wanted to be alone, but the shadows weren’t terrible company. “God, I can’t believe…” He scrubbed furiously at his eyes, determined not to cry. “All because of that stupid akuma. I could have kept it secret. He shouldn’t have found out.”

He swore he heard Ladybug’s – Annabeth’s – wise advice in his ear. _You had to have told him sometime. You can’t live your life hiding that forever._ Stubbornly, Nico fumed. _I could. And I would have. One friend. I had one friend and I lost him because I’m…_

His baton beeped twice to let him know Ladybug was nearby. He didn’t want to see her. He didn’t want to see the look on her face – didn’t want her to see the look on his face – when she told him that Jason was disgusted by him and never wanted to see him again. He couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t.

So he pulled the shadows around himself like a coat in the cold and vanished, appearing somewhere else. This time, on the Eiffel Tower. His baton beeped once, a message.

He checked it.

LB – I am not chasing you across Paris with your dumb teleporting. Get back here.

Nico sat down and buried his head in his knees. He really didn’t want to go back. _Maybe if I keep running I can just pretend that Jason is still my friend._

_Yeah, right._

_No one likes me._

Nico looked at the baton again. _Ladybug likes me. Annabeth was supporting me after she found out._ He stood, filled with dread, eyes closed. _Jason’s my friend. I have to give him a chance. Right? A chance._

_Please._

He shadow-traveled back to Ladybug.

“Finally,” Ladybug said, hands on her hips. “Jason’s worried that you hate him.”

Nico’s eyes snapped open. “What?”

“Apparently,” she said, “he was angry that Cupid outed you without your consent. That’s why he went akuma. He doesn’t mind you being g-” She halted the word at Nico’s pained look. “He doesn’t mind your preferences at all. He was just angry that Cupid hurt you.”

Nico felt like he needed to sit down. His legs were almost definitely shaking. “Of course. Of course he was. Because he’s _Jason_.”

“In other words.” Ladybug swung her yo-yo casually back and forth. “I was totally right.”

“As usual.”

“Thank you. But apparently, Jason is afraid you hate him. He told Percy that.” Nico went rigid, but Ladybug put a hand on his shoulder. “And that’s literally all he told Percy, Chat.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“I’m guessing that he figured out you might have thought he was upset because of what Cupid made you reveal rather than that he did it at all, and he thinks you hate him for it.”

Nico felt sick. He actually did sit. “He… I couldn’t _hate_ him.”

Ladybug’s stormy grey eyes seemed to pierce into Nico. “Then tell him that.”

Nico knew he had to. He knew he couldn’t lose Jason because of that. “Okay.” He took a deep breath, gathered what little courage he had, and wrapped himself in shadows.

He hadn’t expected to end up in Jason’s kitchen. Though, in hindsight, it should have been expected, and Nico just counted himself lucky that he didn’t end up with Jason sleeping or in the bathroom. He did, after all, shadow-travel while thinking only of Jason.

Luckily for him, he was still cloaked in shadow, and his particular mode of travel was absolutely silent. Still, if Jason looked in his direction, he wouldn’t miss the boy in a leather cat suit.

Not for the first time, Nico was mortified at his particular persona.

But Jason didn’t seem to notice his entrance. He looked up at the light fixtures for a moment, when the room had suddenly darkened a little, but just shrugged and went back to cooking, a determined look on his face.

Nico knew he needed to get out. Coming to Jason at that time of night was rash and stupid and there was no way he could explain it. He didn’t even know where Jason lived. But his interest was caught, and he was in a nice, hidden corner, so he figured he could watch for just a minute.

And he stayed for only a minute. Only just long enough to realize that Jason was making brownie batter. He shadow-traveled away before he could see any more. _No. He couldn’t be. There’s no way. He’s just… he’s upset too. It’s comfort for him. He likes baking. That seems like him. That’s all it is._

He reappeared in his own room and looked at his baton, thanking all the powers that be that Ladybug had the option for her messages not to trigger a chime when he saw one waiting for him.

LB – Chat, please tell me you didn’t just shadow-travel to Jason’s house.

He decided it would be best for his health to message her back. Not that he could lie. She certainly saw his location on the tracker, and Annabeth did know where Jason lived.

CN – um.  
LB – Tell me he didn’t see you.  
CN – No. No one saw me.  
LB – Good. How did he look?  
CN – I’m not sure? Determined. He was making brownies.  
LB – If he gives you the batch I’m taking some.  
CN – I think he’s just working off stress or something.  
LB – Maybe but you’ve never had Jason’s brownies. I think he’s going to give them to you.  
CN – Ladybug…  
LB – Just saying. If he gives you one then fine, but it he gives you the batch you better save some for me.  
CN – Fine.  
LB – <3 Get some sleep. You can talk to Jason tomorrow.  
CN – Goodnight LB. And thank you.

Nico let his transformation end and collapsed on his bed, ignoring his kwami completely. The damn thing knew where to find the cheese anyway.

* * *

Jason dared to let himself hope, and his hope let him get a little excited. If his conversation with Annabeth was any indication, his problems with Nico were just a misunderstanding. Hopefully, that could be solved without too much hassle, and he can be Nico’s friend again. But like heck was he going to school empty handed.

No, Jason – being Jason – baked brownies, to show Nico how sorry he was and because he realized that he never followed through on giving Nico the best brownies in existence.

Or at least his friends dubbed them that.

He hoped Nico liked them.

 _Oh, god._ He took a deep breath and stepped into the classroom, hesitantly letting his eyes drift up to the back corner where Nico sat. Alone. Annabeth was right back in the front, smirking at him and pointing none-too-subtly at the box Jason carried.

He ignored her, and headed to his seat. “Hey, Nico.”

“Hey, Grace.”

“Is it okay if I…”

“It’s your seat, Grace.”

Jason sat down quickly. Nico still wouldn’t look at him.

“Hey…” Jason said. “Remember a few months ago, I said I knew where to get the best brownies?”

Nico’s head shot up and his eyes met Jason’s. His jaw hung slack. “You didn’t.” His voice was tiny.

Jason tried on his best smile, and lifted the top of the box. “Ta-da.” He pushed the box over to Nico’s side of the desk. “I-I’m sorry, Nico. I swear I wasn’t upset at you. It was Cupid. If you’re-” Jason cut himself short when he noticed the panicked expression on Nico’s face. “Well, that’s perfectly fine. I was just upset that you didn’t have a choice in telling me.” His eyes shifted down. “Or, Annabeth, apparently.”

Jason sighed in relief when Nico didn’t react to him mentioning that Annabeth knew.

“It’s okay.” Nico carefully picked up one of the brownies, closing the box after it. “It’s not your fault.” Those few words seemed to lift the entire building off of Jason. “And I guess if anyone were to find out, I’m glad it’s you.” And then Jason was positively soaring. He couldn’t keep the grin off of his face. “Oh, stop that!” Nico hit him gently on the shoulder.

“Sorry,” Jason said. He wasn’t.

Nico bit into the brownie, his eyes going wide. He covered his mouth with his free hand as he chewed and swallowed. “Oh my god, Jason, these are amazing.”

That only left the grin on his face even wider. He felt ecstatic and proud. “Thank you. I’m glad I could live up to your fine brownie tastes.”

Nico gave him a curious look for a moment. “Where did you get them?”

Jason hesitated. _Well I can’t tell him it’s the store around the corner, because he could actually go there._ He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I made them.”

“You did?”

“Y-yeah.”

Nico smiled at him – really smiled – and finished his brownie, sneaking a second one from the box before the teacher started class.

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't going to post this on ao3 but then I realized I spent an entire day writing this so y'all have to read it now.  
> It didn't even have a title I just called it bell collar because thats 1000000% of the reason for this fic to get Nico into a Chat Noir outfit.  
> I didn't have any of my references so all my characterization is going off of years-old memories and fanfiction so you're welcome.


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